A Thousand Ships
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-01 11:58:49
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Natalie Haynes
- ISBN：1509836217
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
This was never the story of one woman， or two。 It was the story of all of them…
In the middle of the night， Creusa wakes to find her beloved Troy engulfed in flames。 Ten seemingly endless years of brutal conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans are over， and the Greeks are victorious。 Over the next few hours， the only life she has ever known will turn to ash。。。
The devastating consequences of the fall of Troy stretch from Mount Olympus to Mount Ida， from the citadel of Troy to the distant Greek islands， and across oceans and sky in between。 These are the stories of the women embroiled in that legendary war and its terrible aftermath， as well as the feud and the fatal decisions that started it all…
Powerfully told from an all-female perspective， A Thousand Ships gives voices to the women， girls and goddesses who， for so long， have been silent。
In the middle of the night， Creusa wakes to find her beloved Troy engulfed in flames。 Ten seemingly endless years of brutal conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans are over， and the Greeks are victorious。 Over the next few hours， the only life she has ever known will turn to ash。。。
The devastating consequences of the fall of Troy stretch from Mount Olympus to Mount Ida， from the citadel of Troy to the distant Greek islands， and across oceans and sky in between。 These are the stories of the women embroiled in that legendary war and its terrible aftermath， as well as the feud and the fatal decisions that started it all…
Powerfully told from an all-female perspective， A Thousand Ships gives voices to the women， girls and goddesses who， for so long， have been silent。
Reviews
Mili Chamberlain
，
Im gonna stop you right there before you trigger a reading slump
Mary Beth Hustoles
，
An absolutely stunning retelling of the tales of the Trojan War， fiercely focused on the women。 Haynes’s humor and empathy are filtered through an amazing attention to the original sources。 Forget Achilles and Odysseus， or rather， see them through the eyes of the wives and mothers who became widows and childless through the actions of these “heroes”。 Oh， Penelope’s sardonic voice writing letters to Odysseus over the ten extra years he took to make his way home， and the petty goddesses Aphrodite An absolutely stunning retelling of the tales of the Trojan War， fiercely focused on the women。 Haynes’s humor and empathy are filtered through an amazing attention to the original sources。 Forget Achilles and Odysseus， or rather， see them through the eyes of the wives and mothers who became widows and childless through the actions of these “heroes”。 Oh， Penelope’s sardonic voice writing letters to Odysseus over the ten extra years he took to make his way home， and the petty goddesses Aphrodite and Athena， like teenage sisters everywhere， are just perfect！ As someone who had only the spotty classical education afforded by an American liberal arts degree， I now have a much more solid grasp （and interest） in these centuries old characters。 Finally， you need to listen to this wonderful saga as read by the author。 Her voice and characterizations takes the writing up to a whole other level。 I loved it！ And feel so much smarter for the experience！ 。。。more
Jam Ardemer
，
An awesome story here！ I like how the plot is going。 If you still have stories like this， you can publish it on novel star。 Just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Denise
，
I’ve always loved Greek mythology and have looked at its characters as inspiration for baby names。 It was nice to get the ladies’ perspectives even if， it seems， they’re all tragic figures。
lanie
，
if you're expecting a "fiercely feminist" book i would get ready to be extremely disappointed。 :（ （slight spoilers， but if you're reading because you like the iliad and/or the odyssey， you already know everything that happens。）that， actually， was one of my first problems with the book， although that may just be because I'm familiar with the iliad。 a thousand ships didn't add anything new to the story， despite the fact that it was told from the perspective of the women， rather than the men。 it wa if you're expecting a "fiercely feminist" book i would get ready to be extremely disappointed。 :（ （slight spoilers， but if you're reading because you like the iliad and/or the odyssey， you already know everything that happens。）that， actually， was one of my first problems with the book， although that may just be because I'm familiar with the iliad。 a thousand ships didn't add anything new to the story， despite the fact that it was told from the perspective of the women， rather than the men。 it was pretty basic lol。 i understand that random readers might not have any knowledge of the actual iliad， but i feel like there are ways to incorporate the background of the story while still adding a new twist to it。 my main issue with the story was the not-so-subtle misogyny。 the amount of slut-shaming in this book was pretty crazy。 and it was weirdly male gazey？ did not appreciate that。 but all the characters were so catty and derogatory toward other women （especially towards helen， don't get me started on that）。 which isn't good because it perpetuates the idea that women are constantly competing with one another and putting down other women。 the other big issue i had with the book was how despite the fact that it was supposed to revolve around women， i still feel like the story was about men。 take penelope's perspective， for example。 her p。o。v。 was told through letters to her husband， odysseus （no other character's p。o。v。 was in that format so it felt sort of out of place）。 every single chapter from her viewpoint was spent detailing all of odysseus's adventures on his journey home， not her story。 i could give a fig about odysseus; i wanted to hear about how she held off dozens and dozens of incels -sorry， suitors- for ten years！ but nooooo。 all of her chapters are odysseus was fighting a sea monster and then he was cheating on his wife with circe and calypso and blah blah blah。 you see what i mean？ penelope's chapters aren't even about penelope！ the author did my girl penelope dirty and i'm upset about it。 my next issue in this book was the amount of p。o。v。's， most of which were pointless。 natalie haynes said she wanted to tell the story of every woman involved with the war and boy did she accomplish that。 i got sort of attached to characters like laodamia and oenone and creusa， only for them to never be mentioned again。 their perspectives didn't really add anything and their stories could have easily been told by any of the other， more consistent characters， like hecabe and co。 actually， ms。 natalie did forget one perspective: helen of freakin troy！ not a single chapter was in helen's perspective， despite the fact that she kind of， oh， i don't know， caused the war？！？！？！ i would've loved to be able to see inside her mind and understand what she thought about it all （did she feel guilty？ why did she leave menelaus so willingly？ etc）。 the most we got from helen was a monologue in hecabe's （i think？） chapter。 not even from her own perspective。 why， ms。 natalie haynes， why？ you were sitting on top of a gold mine！ helen's side of the story fascinates me and yet no one ever gives her a voice。 smh。i did love clytemnestra's chapter， though。 you go， clytemnestra。 earl agamemnon had to die。 all this being said， i wasn't really expecting the characters to be super-empowered feminist warriors or anything。 obviously this book takes place wayyyy back in ~1184 B。C。E。 when women had yet to be seen as people， and where the book starts， at the end of the war， many of the characters are now enslaved to the greeks。 there's not much they can do about that。 but there was still so much subtle misogyny， like the way the trojans slutshamed helen （i mean yeah the war was kinda her fault but they were way nasty to her？ uncalled for。 also how about we shift the blame to paris？ last i checked it wasn't helen who， as an already married man， sailed all the way to greece to steal an already married woman， but okay hecabe。 not that helen is blameless， but still。） i think also （going back to my first issue） because ms。 natalie was trying to shove so much of the iliad/the odyssey into it， the book's themes were way too overstated and the prose was very tell-not-show-y。 the women in this story went through so much terrible stuff and yet it really didn't focus that much on them unpacking their trauma。 they honestly sort of seemed like side characters in their own story。 yikes。2 stars because it was a very fast， easy read and i liked the concept behind it。 also for my besties penelope and clytemnestra。 additionally， i appreciated how every male character was garbage because i feel it was a very realistic portrayal of men （go off ms。 natalie！ men are trash！） but overall it disappointed。 :（ 。。。more
Abigail
，
This is a dazzling retelling of the Battle of Troy from the women's perspectives。 Both moving and breath-taking。 Filled with great insight into the lives of women during this time。 This is of the same caliber as Barker's The Silence of the Girls--if you liked that， then you will definitely like this！ This is a dazzling retelling of the Battle of Troy from the women's perspectives。 Both moving and breath-taking。 Filled with great insight into the lives of women during this time。 This is of the same caliber as Barker's The Silence of the Girls--if you liked that， then you will definitely like this！ 。。。more
Victoria Bannon
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I’m caught between a three and a four， but considering how quickly I read this， I’ll give it a four。 I have mixed feelings about this book。 I love the spotlight that’s been given to so many of mythology’s less mythologized women， but it does bother me that certain characters fall into common traps - Helen is cold and hated， Circe a whore with no forgiveness in her heart， and Penelope used as a cudgel to beat other， less worthy women with。 I appreciate the lights being shone on other women （Theti I’m caught between a three and a four， but considering how quickly I read this， I’ll give it a four。 I have mixed feelings about this book。 I love the spotlight that’s been given to so many of mythology’s less mythologized women， but it does bother me that certain characters fall into common traps - Helen is cold and hated， Circe a whore with no forgiveness in her heart， and Penelope used as a cudgel to beat other， less worthy women with。 I appreciate the lights being shone on other women （Thetis， Hecabe， and Polyxena to name a few）， but can’t quite ignore some of my issues with the text。 It is beautifully written， however， which gives it an extra half star。 3。5 。。。more
Jo
，
I love reading all these different interpretations of Greek myths。 And this was amazing。 I especially loved Penelope's bits。 And I am a bit salty that Helen was done dirty， cause I love her， but this was amazing。 I love reading all these different interpretations of Greek myths。 And this was amazing。 I especially loved Penelope's bits。 And I am a bit salty that Helen was done dirty， cause I love her， but this was amazing。 。。。more
Maja - BibliophiliaDK ✨
，
THOUGH THERE WERE PARTS I DIDN'T LIKE THIS WAS， OVERALL， A GOOD READING EXPERIENCEAny retelling of mythology that centers on the female experience is sure to be a hit with me。 And that was precisely the reason why I wanted to read this book。 Here is the story not of a single woman but of all the women affected by the Trojan War。 That really caught my interest and while this wasn't a 5 star read for me， it was still a good reading experience。👍 What I Liked 👍Experience: How many women were affecte THOUGH THERE WERE PARTS I DIDN'T LIKE THIS WAS， OVERALL， A GOOD READING EXPERIENCEAny retelling of mythology that centers on the female experience is sure to be a hit with me。 And that was precisely the reason why I wanted to read this book。 Here is the story not of a single woman but of all the women affected by the Trojan War。 That really caught my interest and while this wasn't a 5 star read for me， it was still a good reading experience。👍 What I Liked 👍Experience: How many women were affected by the Trojan War？ A ten year long war between two ancient super powers would suggest that it would be a fair amount of women。 How many of them are actually named in the Homeric epos The Iliad？ A smal handful。 How many of those few are actually given a voice？ Only a couple。 This book is a valiant and admirable attempt to give these women their voices and their identities back。 I liked how it aimed at showing the experience of all the women affected by the war， both high and low， Trojan and Greek。 Emotions: These women went through so much。 A lot of the story follows the women after the war， as they wait to be taken away as slaves and playthings for the Greeks。 The emotions of these experiences， were so raw and heart rendering that I actually cried。 It's a powerful book and a powerful narrative， that can make you cry like that。 And I appreciate it greatly。👎 What I Disliked 👎Timeline: I have read The Iliad several times and am very well acquainted with the story of the Trojan War。 But for people who do not know the story， this book is not going to make a lot of sense I'm afraid。 The timeline is broken up， flashes back and forth between past and present without establishing any sort of sequence for these flashes。 I imagine it would be nearly impossible to make sense of these things without knowing the original story。Penelope/Odysseus: The story of Penelope， the loyal and steadfast wife of the clever Odysseus， was handled quite badly in this book。 Because the story was never about Penelope。 It was always about Odysseus。 And I didn't understand it！ Haynes sets out to show the experience of the women affected by the war， but then she shortchanges Penelope in this way？ It felt like a massive betrayal。 Penelope's "story" is told through a series of letters that she writes to her missing husband， telling him the things she had heard of his voyage。 Essentially， none of Penelope's story is actually about her。 It's all about Odysseus only in her words。 It didn't make any sense to me and it made me so angre that I ended up skipping all of these parts。 Follow me for more book loving content！Blog ✨ Facebook ✨ Instagram ✨ Twitter Blog Post: 15 Books to Read if You Love Jane Austen 。。。more
Jessica F
，
This was such a fresh take on the story of the Trojan war。 Calliope has inspired a poet to write the story of the women involved on all sides， including the other deities。 Each chapter is told from the POV of a different woman and hops to different times from before the war started to after。 And of course as the Trojan War itself was very tragic， this story is full of heartbreak。 I really enjoyed A Thousand Ships and how it portrays the women as heroines， even if they aren't fighting themselves。 This was such a fresh take on the story of the Trojan war。 Calliope has inspired a poet to write the story of the women involved on all sides， including the other deities。 Each chapter is told from the POV of a different woman and hops to different times from before the war started to after。 And of course as the Trojan War itself was very tragic， this story is full of heartbreak。 I really enjoyed A Thousand Ships and how it portrays the women as heroines， even if they aren't fighting themselves。 There is strength in facing your grief。 I particularly liked Penelope's letters to Odysseus， her snarky commentary made me laugh out loud。 。。。more
Kim
，
I loved the concept of this book， but it didn’t deliver。 There were way too many characters， very few fully developed。 I was hoping for the next Circe or The Silence of the Girls。。。 nope。
Tim Good
，
An amazingly freshly fleshed epic！
tb_ex libris
，
{ 𝑄𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑎 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑜̀ 𝑒̀ 𝑎𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑎 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒， 𝑛𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑜 𝑙𝑎 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑎 𝑑𝑒𝑔𝑙𝑖 𝑢𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑖， 𝑒 𝑖𝑙 𝑝𝑜𝑒𝑡𝑎 𝑑𝑜𝑣𝑟𝑎̀ 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑙 𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑜 𝑑𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑒 - 𝑖𝑙 𝑑𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑖 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑖 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑎， 𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑔𝑙𝑖 𝑢𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑖， 𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑔𝑙𝑖 𝑢𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑖， 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑔𝑙𝑖 𝑢𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑖 - 𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑣𝑟𝑎̀ 𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑜， 𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑛 𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎̀ 𝑢𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑙 𝑛𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒。 𝐿𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜 𝑎𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑙 𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑜 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜。 } 🏺•𝙸𝙻 𝙲𝙰𝙽𝚃𝙾 𝙳𝙸 𝙲𝙰𝙻𝙻𝙸𝙾𝙿𝙴•Natalie HaynesTrama ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Finale ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Scrittura ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Leggibilità ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ { 𝑄𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑎 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑜̀ 𝑒̀ 𝑎𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑎 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒， 𝑛𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑜 𝑙𝑎 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑎 𝑑𝑒𝑔𝑙𝑖 𝑢𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑖， 𝑒 𝑖𝑙 𝑝𝑜𝑒𝑡𝑎 𝑑𝑜𝑣𝑟𝑎̀ 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑙 𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑜 𝑑𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑒 - 𝑖𝑙 𝑑𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑖 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑖 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑎， 𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑔𝑙𝑖 𝑢𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑖， 𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑔𝑙𝑖 𝑢𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑖， 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑔𝑙𝑖 𝑢𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑖 - 𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑣𝑟𝑎̀ 𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑜， 𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑛 𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎̀ 𝑢𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑙 𝑛𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒。 𝐿𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜 𝑎𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑙 𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑜 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜。 } 🏺•𝙸𝙻 𝙲𝙰𝙽𝚃𝙾 𝙳𝙸 𝙲𝙰𝙻𝙻𝙸𝙾𝙿𝙴•Natalie HaynesTrama ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Finale ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Scrittura ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Leggibilità ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️♥️ RIVENDICATIVOTagliente， sagace， elegante。 Reclama il riconoscimento delle donne ingiustamente relegate nell’ombra， pur essendo protagoniste tanto quanto （se non di più） i personaggi maschili。 Da leggere， assolutamente！ 。。。more
Zak
，
An enthralling and empowering masterpiece。 The way Haynes weaves the entire story of Trojan War from the beginnings to the aftermath through the eyes of the voices of the women long denied is a grand accomplishment and deeply moving。 The way she literally reframes the various tales we think we know is absolutely remarkable and innovative。 In a just world it would be required that A Thousand Ships be taught along with Homer so that students can truly learn a valuable lesson and appreciate great a An enthralling and empowering masterpiece。 The way Haynes weaves the entire story of Trojan War from the beginnings to the aftermath through the eyes of the voices of the women long denied is a grand accomplishment and deeply moving。 The way she literally reframes the various tales we think we know is absolutely remarkable and innovative。 In a just world it would be required that A Thousand Ships be taught along with Homer so that students can truly learn a valuable lesson and appreciate great artwork。 。。。more
Sam Herbst
，
Filled the Circe-shaped hole in my brain。 The Penelope chapters are so， so good。
Vasudha
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I enjoyed this book very much。 Hayes manages to make the trojan war a new story altogether by taking on the perspective of the women in the war。 I learnt so much about characters I hadn't even known before。 The narrative definitely shows the emotive side of women and attempts to be subdue the horrors they face。 Although Hayes isn't shy about mentioning r*pe， she does glide over it。 I understand that it's a shit topic and no one wants to read about it， but not mentioning it in the case of Chrysei I enjoyed this book very much。 Hayes manages to make the trojan war a new story altogether by taking on the perspective of the women in the war。 I learnt so much about characters I hadn't even known before。 The narrative definitely shows the emotive side of women and attempts to be subdue the horrors they face。 Although Hayes isn't shy about mentioning r*pe， she does glide over it。 I understand that it's a shit topic and no one wants to read about it， but not mentioning it in the case of Chryseis was surprising （not in a good way）。 。。。more
Darcee
，
The characters， the women the book set out to elevate， were flat， two dimensional。
Victoria
，
“When a war was ended， the men lost their lives。 But the women lost everything else。”I know that I’m pretty easy to please when it comes to anything remotely related to Greek mythology but this book gave me chills。 Love love love it
Jen
，
2。5 stars， so I’ll round up。
Amanda（manduhpaigereads）
，
"But this is a women's war， just as much as it is the men's， and the poet will look upon their pain - the pain of the women who have always been relegated to the edges of the story， victims of men， survivors of men， slaves of men - and he will tell it， or he will tell nothing at all。 They have waited long enough for their turn。" -Natalie Haynes， A Thousand Ships Oddly specific genre I cannot get enough of: retellings of Greek mythology/tragedies/epic poems from the POV of the women。 I will read "But this is a women's war， just as much as it is the men's， and the poet will look upon their pain - the pain of the women who have always been relegated to the edges of the story， victims of men， survivors of men， slaves of men - and he will tell it， or he will tell nothing at all。 They have waited long enough for their turn。" -Natalie Haynes， A Thousand Ships Oddly specific genre I cannot get enough of: retellings of Greek mythology/tragedies/epic poems from the POV of the women。 I will read any book in the category and love every second of it。 I have yet to be let down by the women of Troy and ancient Greek mythology。 A Thousand Ships lived up to all of my expectations， and then some。 I was so sad when this novel was over。 Haynes did a fantastic job weaving all of the women's stories together seamlessly。 I would love a full sized novel from each of these women。 They all deserve so much more than just a passing glance， they're the survivers of the war and now must carry on in their new lives。 There is so much focus on the "heroes" Achilles and Odyssey in history and literature BUT these women are so much more interesting。 "When a war was ended， the men lost their lives。 But the women lost everything else。" -Natalie Haynes， A Thousand Ships Seriously you guys， don't sleep on this book （or any other book in this very specific genre）！ I would give this A Thousand Stars if I could （see what I did there？！ I am so sorry。。。） 。。。more
Breanna
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"Heroism is something that can belong in all of us。" "Heroism is something that can belong in all of us。" 。。。more
Denise
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I enjoyed reading a female perspective on the Trojan wars and aftermath especially characters like Creusa that aren’t as famous as Helen or Cassandra。Creusa’s perspective as she wakes to the burning of Troy and stumbles through the city and her flashbacks to walking out to the sea after having been holed-up in Troy for a decade was captivating。Clytemnestra’s revengeful plans for Agamemnon’s murder were so enjoyable。Andromache’s way in which she settled for her lot， the ache for her baby that was I enjoyed reading a female perspective on the Trojan wars and aftermath especially characters like Creusa that aren’t as famous as Helen or Cassandra。Creusa’s perspective as she wakes to the burning of Troy and stumbles through the city and her flashbacks to walking out to the sea after having been holed-up in Troy for a decade was captivating。Clytemnestra’s revengeful plans for Agamemnon’s murder were so enjoyable。Andromache’s way in which she settled for her lot， the ache for her baby that was killed was very touching。The continuous thread of Persephonie’s amusing letters to her husband held the book together。 I vaguely remembered many of the characters and instead of immediately going on the internet to remind myself of their story， I enjoyed having their story unfold through the women’s eyes。 For example， I remembered that Iphegenia’s story was particularly tragic， but I couldn’t recall the details， it was moving to see experience her slow understanding of what was to become of her。 Haynes did a wonderful job of fleshing out many of the female characters that have always seemed so one-dementional。 Unfortunately， there were so many characters that I was left wanting a bit more on some of them！A few editorial comments: The rundown of the characters in the first pages was extremely useful， I had to flip back to the beginning more than once for a quick reminder - I did bookmark the pages， but if it had been at the endpage， it might have been easier to access。How about a chapter index？ Since there were so many characters， I wanted to go back and re-read some accounts again and an index would have made it a bit easier to locate characters。 。。。more
Kelsy Hatfield
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Alright I have thoughts。 My number one thought is that if you want to write a book branded as a feminist retelling then you should take some creative license to write the story in a feminist way。 I don’t think writing the story just from the female perspective is enough to warrant a feminist branding。 The women still act the way the original authors wrote them。 They are petty， catty， hateful， and meek。 I find this unrealistic。 I don’t believe that all the Trojan women would hate Helen when every Alright I have thoughts。 My number one thought is that if you want to write a book branded as a feminist retelling then you should take some creative license to write the story in a feminist way。 I don’t think writing the story just from the female perspective is enough to warrant a feminist branding。 The women still act the way the original authors wrote them。 They are petty， catty， hateful， and meek。 I find this unrealistic。 I don’t believe that all the Trojan women would hate Helen when everyone knew the entire war was due to God/Goddess interference。 Penelope’s story isn’t even her story。 She talks about Odysseus the entire time。 Why not take some creative liberties here？ Why not expand upon how the women would have worked together。 Fought for each other。 In the author’s note at the end Hayes acknowledges that the Amazon’s were likely much more respected by both armies than is shown and played a larger role。 Why not expand upon that？ I also though the muse/poet bit could have been expanded upon。 I felt it didn’t truly serve a purpose？ I also felt like the nonlinear storyline detracted from the story more than it helped。 All in all this felt like a regular retelling。 No special feminist spin。 No interesting reimagining。 It felt more like Hayes showcasing her knowledge of the Trojan War。 Which is fine but not what I was personally looking for in this book。 。。。more
Liz
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An even 4。 I really enjoyed this book - it had the right amount of tragedy and a good amount of humour。 I haven’t cackled at a chapter before like I did in the Athene， Aphrodite and Hers chapter。 I enjoyed the commentary from Calliope throughout - pointing out， I suppose， that women are fed up of men speaking of men or of women they are interested in。 I would have liked that expanded， though。 It felt both in place and out of place。
Summer
，
This was a perfect book to fuel my love for greek mythology and the trojan war。 The trojan war retold from the point of view of the forgotten and unknown women provides a fresh outlook to the conflict， giving you greater insight as to how life for the women left behind， the women enslaved， and the masterminds behind the war was like。 We all know the stories of the greats， their achievements， their deaths， their power and their kingdoms， but not the women in the shadows， who fell victim to them o This was a perfect book to fuel my love for greek mythology and the trojan war。 The trojan war retold from the point of view of the forgotten and unknown women provides a fresh outlook to the conflict， giving you greater insight as to how life for the women left behind， the women enslaved， and the masterminds behind the war was like。 We all know the stories of the greats， their achievements， their deaths， their power and their kingdoms， but not the women in the shadows， who fell victim to them or aided them behind the scenes。 A Thousand Ships is definitely worth the read if you love everything greek just as I do。 It’s written in such a perfect way you forget it’s not a journal or an actual recount of mythological events！ 。。。more
Marie
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This is a beautiful book that gives voices to the women of the Trojan war。 My favourite book of the year so far。 I'd recommend it to anyone。 This is a beautiful book that gives voices to the women of the Trojan war。 My favourite book of the year so far。 I'd recommend it to anyone。 。。。more
Carroll Nelson Davis
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Interesting， sometimes very interesting， rather than engaging as a standalone story。 （For the latter， this reader recommends Circe by Madeline Miller。）Requires familiarity with classical legends in The Iliad， The Odyssey， and associated literature。 Companion to those works， addressing not heroes and gods but the perspectives of women （mortals， goddesses， nymphs） whose lives are overturned by male heroes' conflicts and adventures but whom the epic poet disregards or treats as peripheral details r Interesting， sometimes very interesting， rather than engaging as a standalone story。 （For the latter， this reader recommends Circe by Madeline Miller。）Requires familiarity with classical legends in The Iliad， The Odyssey， and associated literature。 Companion to those works， addressing not heroes and gods but the perspectives of women （mortals， goddesses， nymphs） whose lives are overturned by male heroes' conflicts and adventures but whom the epic poet disregards or treats as peripheral details rather than as people。 This reader's favorites: Calliope， muse of epic poetry， who is fed up with the epic bard's moaning about deaths of heroes （what else did they THINK happens in wars？） and offers this book instead; and Persephone， who composes letters/diary entries to absent Odysseus with escalating irony and then reflects on his actual value in her life after his return。 。。。more
LainieTuesday
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If you love free mythology， this is the book for you。The story/war of Troy told from so many different angles。 How all the Gods interfered and how all characters and parties were affected。 How so many women played a huge role in the Trojan war （aside from Helen of course）。 Absolutely beautifully interwoven and put together。 Loved loved lovedddd！ The way the story was told was so fluid and perfectly arranged to be toldAMAZING！
Laura Sonderman
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Wat een gaaf boek！ De Trojaanse oorlog en wat daarna kwam， verteld vanuit het perspectief van alle vrouwen， godinnen en nimfen。 Zoals in het originele werk zijn er trouwe echtgenotes， moeders die zinnen op wraak en een profetes die niet geloofd wordt。 Maar ook een rancuneuze muze， een bezwaarde oergodin en vooral erg menselijke prinsessen die veranderen in oorlogsbuit。 Maar belangrijker dan het perspectief is de feministische inslag， de letterlijke kritiek op al die mannen die alleen maar over z Wat een gaaf boek！ De Trojaanse oorlog en wat daarna kwam， verteld vanuit het perspectief van alle vrouwen， godinnen en nimfen。 Zoals in het originele werk zijn er trouwe echtgenotes， moeders die zinnen op wraak en een profetes die niet geloofd wordt。 Maar ook een rancuneuze muze， een bezwaarde oergodin en vooral erg menselijke prinsessen die veranderen in oorlogsbuit。 Maar belangrijker dan het perspectief is de feministische inslag， de letterlijke kritiek op al die mannen die alleen maar over zichzelf willen schrijven。 Ja de muze zingt， maar ze heeft haar eigen agenda。 En ze blijft nog even bij deze ene dichter omdat ie zo lief kijkt als ie slaapt。 Het taalgebruik is fantastisch， af en toe zit er een zin tussen die je twee keer wil lezen omdat ie zo mooi is。 Het audioboek is voorgelezen door de auteur， dat vind ik altijd een plus。 Wat dat betreft een terzijde voor wie mijn reviews wel eens leest: ik ga meer audioboeken luisteren。 Ik heb een plan om een aantal streaming apps uit te proberen en dat bevalt tot nu toe heel goed。 Audioboeken combineren namelijk uitstekend met mijn andere hobby， dan komt er nog eens een breisel af。 。。。more
Delaney Cunningham
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I particularly enjoyed the Penelope chapters。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Thousand Ships
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Thousand Ships&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Thousand Ships&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0